Night vision goggles have enabled military operations to continue, uninterrupted by nightfall. Indeed, those personnel with night vision goggles have been shown to have a definite advantage over adversaries who are not so equipped. Night vision goggles operate on a principle in which reflections of dimly lit objects are amplified many times, and then projected on a phosphor-coated display within the goggle. The viewer can thus observe the objects displayed even during the night. Goggles of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,252, and are normally affixed to headgear for hands-off wearing by the user.
Because the headgear should be lightweight, straps are commonly employed for securing the headgear to the cranium of the wearer. Therefore, the headgear itself cannot generally be quickly removed. However, certain situations may arise in which the goggle must be quickly removed from the line of sight vision. For example, should the battery of the goggle become discharged, the goggle would entirely obstruct the vision of the wearer. It can be appreciated that other emergencies may require the quick removal of the goggle. Goggle attachment schemes heretofore known include fastening the goggle to the headgear by thumbscrews, or similar attachment apparatus. While this approach provides a sturdy and solid connection of the goggle to the headgear, the detachability is cumbersome and slow.
From the foregoing, it may be seen that a need has arisen for mounting apparatus in which a night vision goggle can be quickly released from the headgear, or attached thereto.